Forget Netflix, ShowMax, the internet TV service launched in August 2015, has expanded its footprint to 36 additional countries across sub-Saharan Africa. In total, ShowMax now supplies subscription video on demand services to 65 countries worldwide. The company has officially launched internet TV services to 36 countries across sub-Saharan Africa including Uganda. The company originally launched in August 2015 with the largest subscription video on demand catalogue on the continent.
The sub-Saharan service costs US$ 7.99 (UGX 27,000) per month for unlimited viewing. Their streaming catalogue includes approximately fifteen thousand TV show episodes and movies, totaling almost ten thousand hours of viewing. The service includes a Kiswahili language section and a Nollywood section, as well as an African Film section that pulls together classic movies from across the continent.
Launching of internet TV streaming services comes at a time when most countries in Africa are getting hooked to fast internet services. The company is busy testing the service in key locations across the continent and optimizing our delivery network. You can enjoy the services through their Android, iOS and SmartTV apps, and have also introduced features like downloads for viewing TV shows and movies when offline;
The product features developed by ShowMax to address connectivity constraints include:
- Adaptive bitrate streaming that monitors connection speeds and automatically adjusts video stream resolution to avoid buffering
- Download functionality to save up to 25 TV shows and movies in total to Android and iOS smartphones and tablets for viewing offline
- User-selectable download quality to limit data usage
- User-selectable streaming quality to limit data usage
- Automatic size reduction of static pictures delivered to mobile devices
How to signup for ShowMAX
ShowMax offers a risk-free seven-day trial. When you signup, you have the Option to pay with either your Paypal account or VISA card as expected no Mobile Money Option yet. You will billed only after the 7 day trial is over.
According to the GSMA, around 160 million connected smartphones were in use in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015, set to rise to more than 500 million by 2020. This explosive growth combined with the increasing availability of WiFi services, the rollout of FTTH in urban centres, and the rollout of other high speed fixed mobile options is driving the take-up of video on demand services.
New sub-Saharan countries that ShowMax has launched
1 Botswana
2 Burundi
3 Cabo Verde
4 Cameroon
5 Central African Republic
6 Chad
7 Comoros
8 Congo
9 Democratic Republic of the Congo
10 Djibouti
11 Equatorial Guinea
12 Eritrea
13 Ethiopia
14 Gabon
15 Gambia
16 Guinea
17 Guinea-Bissau
18 Kenya
19 Lesotho
20 Liberia
21 Madagascar
22 Malawi
23 Mauritius
24 Namibia
25 Reunion
26 Rwanda
27 Saint Helena
28 Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
29 Sao Tome and Principe
30 Senegal
31 Seychelles
32 Swaziland
33 Tanzania
34 Uganda
35 Zambia
36 Zimbabwe
